1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a primary component of a personal fall arrest system and particularly pertains to a continuously knitted safety net harness to be worn by a person to protect that person from injury in case of a fall. The harness is designed to safely support a person being lifted or lowered as well as to sufficiently distribute fall arrest forces across the wearer's body if the harness is properly used as part of a fall arrest system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Safety harnesses are widely used as part of a fall arrest system for persons subjected to a fall from a height of greater than six feet (6′). While these harnesses are generally used in the workplace, full body safety harnesses can be used in various other applications in which total suspension and support of the body must be ensured, either expectedly or unexpectedly.
Currently available full body safety harnesses as used with fall arrest systems typically include shoulder straps that are guided through a pad on the rear part of the harness worn on the person's back. The shoulder straps continue forward over the shoulders and after adjustment attach through buckles to a seat strap upon which the hindquarters of the wearer can rest and be supported. Adjustable leg straps attach to the seat strap through additional buckles to support the legs of the wearer. Although these harness types are well suited for fall protection, they cause discomfort to the user by, for example, impairing movement and digging into the body at the edges of the straps. The leg straps also restrict blood flow from the femoral artery which can cause loss of consciousness, blood clots, and even death. The limited range of motion and discomfort along with the physical hazards associated with the current safety harnesses can result in safety lapses by the user due to non-use.
It remains desirable to develop safety harnesses for use with fall arrest systems resulting in improved user comfort and overall safety that do not allow such disadvantages.